DIARY OF A BIOCHEM MAJOR

Don’t worry guys, I’ll keep using your suggestions for molecules! Just wanted to share this lovely drug with you all. Now chances are that you have probably been exposed to this chemical, whether you wanted to or not. Its basically caffeine’s sketchy older brother, who although does a great job stimulating the body, doesn’t exactly do it in the best way.

Nicotine, also known as 3-[(2S)-1-methylpyrrolidin-2-yl]pyridine (aka what happens when a chemist smashes his face into the keyboard a few times), is found primarily in tobacco and can be considered its “active ingredient”. After smoking some tobacco, nicotine quickly enters the blood and makes it to the brain where it binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. By binding to the receptor, nicotine causes a spike in dopamine which causes the feelings of euphoria and general well being. It can also interact with another nicotinic receptor in adrenal gland to cause the release of adrenaline, which acts like a stimulant. Nicotine acts like a stimulant and a relaxant since it interacts with different parts of the brain.

Now nicotine itself is not a carcinogen (its the smoke that does you in, along with other chemicals found in tobacco), but it is addictive as it affects the reward pathway in the brain. Nicotine might actually have anti-cancer properties, especially with women who carry the damaged BRCA gene (the BRCA gene encodes for a protein that repairs DNA damage) as nicotine is anti-inflammatory. Now who would have guessed that? Just don’t go and smoke a pack.